Uploaded May 2018 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago

---

(KUTV) An unusual friendship and business venture was built on what started as what was believed to be a Facebook scam.

It all started when Ben Taylor received a Facebook message last April.

"The first word that came to mind was 'scam,'" Taylor said.

The message was from a 50-year-old man name Joel Willie who lives in one of the poorest countries in the world.

It read, "Hello sir, my name is Joel from Liberia, West Africa. I beg you in the name of God, I need some assistance from you."

Taylor decided to play along, because he loves to taunt scammers.